Lenadoon raids provoke anger
By Laura Friel
In sharp contrast to the RUC response to the murder of
ten Catholics over the Christmas and New Year period,
crown forces saturated Twinbrook hours after the death
of UDA leader Robert Dougan last Tuesday 10 February.
Over the next two days they raided homes in the area
and arrested seven men.
Three men were arrested in the first wave of raids.
During the raid one man was assaulted and needed
hospital treatment as his finger was broken. According
to Sinn Fein councillor Paul Butler all three men were
beaten as they were dragged from the house and thrown
into RUC jeeps. Later that night three more homes in
Twinbrook were raided amid a continued heavy military
presence throughout the area.
The next day there were four more arrests and more
raids. Paul Butler angrily accused the RUC of ``felon
setting'' after they told the media that the arrested
men were ''IRA suspects''.
Local people are ``extremely angry'', said Butler, ``the
RUC is following a political agenda aimed at
republicans.''
Later on Wednesday 11 February, the RUC and British
Army saturated the nationalist Lenadoon area and raided
four homes. At about 2.30pm upwards of 15 RUC and
British army jeeps and landrovers descended on Lenadoon
Avenue. They stayed for over five hours, raided three
homes in a small two storey block of flats.
Stephen, a young man living on the second floor,
returned home at midnight and found nothing left of his
front door. The man, who was visibly shaken when he
talked to An Phoblacht, initially thought hoods had
vandalised his flat and only later discovered a form
detailing the RUC action - on the form they said there
was no damage to the flat.
Two neighbours on the ground floor were also raided.
Thomas Maguire spoke of how seven RUC men charged his
front door and smashed it open, despite the fact that
he was in. Mr Maguire and his family were placed under
house arrest by the RUC while a mirror and pictures
were damaged as the RUC men became increasingly
abusive. It was the same story next door.
Further up the street a fourth raid was taking place.
In the most vicious attack of the day, seven RUC men
charged up the driveway of a house with sledgehammers.
`Marie' (not her real name) was at home with her 17
year old son and one year old daughter. As the RUC
charged the house a concerned neighbour followed them,
but as he reached the front door they turned on him.
Two RUC men grabbed the neighbour by throat and dragged
him to ground in the garden. `Marie' was then smacked
in the face as she tried to go to his aid. The RUC then
turned on her son, Michael, as he moved to put himself
between the RUC and his mother. But before he could act
he was battered against the inside wall, despite
holding his one year old sister in his arms. The baby
received bruising to the back of her head, Michael
received a black eye.
At this point neighbours and friends came onto the
streets outside to protest, blowing whistles and
banging binlids, forcing the RUC to withdraw.
However, this didn't stop their pettiness, and before
they pulled out they smashed eggs into the hotpress in
Marie's house.
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